The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller is a weekly series where The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. Listen to Ask a Bookseller to find your next favorite book.

Big Books and Bold Ideas

Big Books and Bold Ideas is a weekly series hosted by Kerri Miller every Friday at 11 a.m., featuring conversations about books and other literary ideas. Listen to Big Books and Bold Ideas here.

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Sign up for The Thread newsletter to get reading recommendations from Kerri Miller and other bookworms around the MPR newsroom. Find reviews for new releases, as well as hidden gems you may have missed.

Talking Volumes

Talking Volumes is an annual event series featuring notable authors in conversation about their new books. Presented by MPR News and The Minnesota Star Tribune. 

Tickets are now available for our 26th season. Join award-winning journalist and MPR News host Kerri Miller (and special guest host Catharine Richart) as they talk with authors including Stacey Abrams, Patricia Lockwood, Misty Copeland, John Grisham, and Kate Baer. 

In 'Children of Virtue and Vengeance,' magic has returned. Now what?
In the sequel to author Tomi Adeyemi's West-African-inspired young adult bestseller, the maji in the land of Orïsha have their powers back — except the monarchy and military now have magic too.
'We wanted our patrons back': Public libraries scrap late fines to alleviate inequity
"There were families that couldn't afford to pay the fines and therefore couldn't return the materials," Chicago Public Library Commissioner Andrea Telli said. "So then we just lost them as patrons."
The book that just keeps selling
Bookseller Francine Tanguay recommends a novel about two women separated by a century, but connected by tragedy. It’s been a best-seller in her shop for almost five years.
Don't like Harry Potter? Come to the 'Dork' side
Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles has a secret: Her kids don't care about Harry Potter. But they do like Mike Johnston's relatably hapless boy wizard Wick, star of Confessions of a Dork Lord.
Talking Volumes: Lindy West on 'The Witches Are Coming'
If you have only experienced Lindy West’s writing online, you might mistake her sharp cultural commentary for anger. But as Kerri Miller and a Talking Volumes audience found out recently, she displays a surprising sense of optimism.
'Catfishing on CatNet:' On the internet, no one knows you're a cat. Or an AI.
Naomi Kritzer's new novel takes off from her award-winning story about an AI that loves cats. It's a wild, rollicking tale with a gritty truth at its core: You never know who you're talking to online.